California Dreamin' Sony Style

Despite CSL’s freedoms, Tokoro is well aware of the pitfalls in the PARC model. After all, Xerox failed to capitalize on almost every one of the new technologies that poured forth from the Palo Alto lab. CSL’s aim isn’t just exciting technology, says Tokoro: “The ultimate and unchangeable goal of CSL is to develop technologies that create new markets for Sony.”

Tokoro sees Sony’s future in the emerging ubiquitous network of computers on desktops and in consumer devices. This network, he says, must be regarded as a continually evolving “open system,” a view that is reflected in CSL’s strong emphasis on widely distributed, mobile computing environments where network connections, connected computers and services are changing continuously.